Aug. 24, 2006
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COLUMBIA, Mo.- The Missouri women's soccer team kicks off the 2006 season with its own Tiger Invitational this weekend. The four team tournament, which also includes Illinois, Iowa and South Carolina, will feature back-to-back games on Friday and Sunday at Walton Stadium.
No. 13 Illinois and South Carolina start things off on Friday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. and will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by Missouri and Iowa. Day two of the Invitational on Sunday, Aug. 27 features Iowa and South Carolina at 11 a.m. and Missouri and No. 13 Illinois at 1:30 p.m. Following the Tigers' game on Sunday, the four respective coaching staffs will vote on an All-Tournament Team.
Fans attending Friday's games can take advantage of $20 Family Night. Families can buy four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for only $20. Additionally, on Sunday tickets and hot dogs will cost just $1.
Last time out
The Tigers traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for their only preseason exhibition game against No. 22 Vanderbilt on Friday, Aug. 18. After falling behind the Commodores 2-0 early in the second half, sophomore Ashley Hamblin found the back of the net twice within a minute span to secure a tie for the Tigers.
In the 67th minute, freshman Bree Thornton collected the ball in the Vanderbilt end and raced toward goal. The forward eluded a defener and crossed the ball to Hamblin, who spun around a defender and put the ball into the lower let netting for Mizzou's first goal.
One minute later, Hamblin dribbled down the left sideline and into the box, faked out the Commodore goalie and easily tapped the ball in to tie the game up a 2-2.
Sophomore goalie Mallory Forst recorded 12 saves for the Tigers.
Scouting Iowa
The Iowa Hawkeyes enter their game with the Tigers with a brand new coach and 18 returning letterwinners from a 2005 squad that finished 3-12-4 overall and 1-7-2 in the Big Ten Conference.
Leading the way for the Hawkeyes is sophomore Stephanie Hyink, who posted a team-high 15 points on six goals and three assists last year. Other notables include junior Melisa Kaetterhenry and sophomore Kelsey Shaw, who each netted three goals apiece in 2005.
In the net for Iowa will be junior junior Lindsey Boldt. The Hawkeye played in eight games with seven starts early in the 2005 season but was forced to miss the rest of the campaign due to injury. In Boldt's eight games, she recorded a 1-4-2 record with 44 saves and 14 goals allowed.
Series Record: Missouri leads 4-0
Last meeting: MU 5, Iowa 0 (2005)
Scouting Illinois
The Illinois Fighting Illini kick off the 2006 season ranked 13th in the NSCAA/adidas National Poll and 15th in SoccerBuzz's National Poll. Additionally, the squad was picked to finish second behind perennial national powerhouse Penn State in the Big Ten Conference.
The offensive trio of seniors Jessica Bayne and Eva Strickland and junior Ella Masar accumulated 46 of the Fighting Illini's 96 total points a year ago. Bayne was the squad's leading scorer with eight goals and five assists for 21 points.
Junior Lindsey Carstens should see goalkeeper duties this weekend based on her 9-4-3 record a year ago. Carstens played in a total of 17 games in 2005 and posted an impressive 0.99 goals-against-average.
Series Record: Tied 2-2
Last meeting: Ill. 4, MU 1 (2004)
Tigers in the WPSL
Seven current and one former Tiger played in the Women's Premier Soccer League, the second best women's soccer league in the world.
Janelle Cordia, Ashley Hamblin, Meghan Pfeiffer, Mo Redmond, Kat Tarr and former Tiger Jennifer Nobis helped the River Cities FC (St. Louis) to a league runner-up finish in the club's first year of existence. Nobis led the squad with 12 goals on the year and was named to the All-Final Four Team after recording a goal and an assist in the league semifinal.
Aria Hudetz and Maddie Senkosky played for the WPSL's Denver Diamonds, which advanced to the league playoffs.
Youngsters Galore
The 2006 Mizzou soccer team features 13 freshmen and sophomores in the 19-member Tiger team. The squad will not lack in experience, however. The team boasts eight players who played in at least 16 games last year and nine players who started at least seven games.
Fresh Faces
This year's Missouri freshmen class is one of its best in years. Crystal Wagner from Houston, Texas, is a top-100 recruit nationwide by SoccerBuzz while Pleasant Hill, Calif., native Kristin Andrighetto is a top-150 recruit.
The class also includes some of the top talent from California and Illinois in Michelle Collins (Naperville, Ill.), Bianca Pritchett (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Breanna Thornton (Lake View Terrace, Calif.).
Still too early to tell
After an eighth-place league showing last season, the 2006 Missouri Tigers were to finish eighth in preseason rankings, which was voted on by the conference's head soccer coaches. Texas A&M was picked to finish first with seven first place votes while Nebraska and Texas each received two to come in second and third, respectively. Also selected in front of the Tigers were Colorado (fourth), Kansas (fifth), Oklahoma (sixth) and Oklahoma State (seventh).
Where's the offense?
With the graduation of 2005 seniors Jennifer Nobis and Amber Swinehart, the Tigers lost exactly 50 percent of their offense from a year ago. Aria Hudetz returns as last year's third-leading scorer with 16 points on six goals and four assists while Mo Redmond recorded four goals and an assist.
This year, Missouri will look for an offensive-by-committee to provide the needed goals for the Tigers to win.